Fish Not Getting Along

[dafish]

hi i jus joined i have a 7 gallon book self tank i originally had five glow fish in it then the two bigger glow fish were harassing the smaller ones and they ended up dying so i got a algae eater fish i don't now the name of it and at Walmart they sold me what was suppose to be a albino tetra or something i can not remember but it turns out its a ciclid im fairly new all these fish so i didn't know so with new tank setup is two glow fish a ciclid thats a little bigger and a algae eater and over the last two day its been getting aggressive and so has the one glow fish the ciclid attacks both glow fish and the one glow fish which is bigger than the other glow fish attacks the ciclid sometimes and the other glow fish i want to know if i get like two more glow fish to try and help the glow fish group together so the ciclid lays of and the glow fish stop attacking each other or is there another way ill put a pic of my tank up soon it pretty long jus about 24 inchs /Users/justin/Desktop/IMG-20111203-00065.jpg

 

[creeker]

Ok, here is advice you probably don't want to hear. Bring back the cichlid (I suspect Pink Convict), the Glowfish, and the unidentified algae eater (probably either a Pleco or Chinese Algae Eater, both inappropriate for your tank.) Get yourself up to four male Endler's Livebearers and a few snails or Ghost Shrimp and leave it at that. Your tank is way too small for cichlids, algae eaters, and fast fish like glowfish (Zebra Danios.) I am aware your tank has a little length. It also has very little volume.

 

[friendlyfishy777]

That tank is way too small for many of those fish types.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

+1 to both statements above. The reason that the glofish got nippy was because of the close quarters. They need room to roam. They are fast swimmers and need the space to be able to do it.

 

[Jv777j]

The tank is too small for the fish so they get territorial. Also cichlids are really aggressive fish

 

[webber555]

Full stops will make it easier to read your question. I think I figured out that you have a tank that is too small for the stock you have. Take the stock back, replace with shrimp or very small livebearers or ember tetras.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Agree with y'all up there. But I'd take back all the fish, then go to the beginner's resource center (click on "New to Fishkeeping? Click Here!" in my signature) and read up on how to do a fishless cycle. Otherwise you'll end up likely killing a few fish before you really get started. Then hang out on these boards for a while and do a lot of research on fish that are recommended for your size tank and conditions. Then, look for a LFS (local fish store) near you that's not a big box store. They don't know a thing about fish and don't treat theirs well.

Welcome to our friendly, educational forum!

And by the way, please use punctuation. This isn't your cell phone.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I would like to agree to what TOS said above, but I will mention that each LFS (including big box stores) are very different. It all depends on the staff.


I have a local independent LFS run by an "old school" fishkeeper. I chatted the owner up a bit regarding the fish and found out quite quickly that this guy really didn't have the fish in proper conditions. He has a HUGE bichir in a tank just barely big enough for it to turn around. His tanks always have a ton of algae growth. There's always at least one tank (usually more) that has dead or dying fish in it. His business is thriving, but I don't think that he keeps his fish very well.

Another independent near me was the one that my dad used to use for fish. I remember going there as a kid and marveling at all the tanks. There were so many fish, and so many tanks. It was awesome. I dreamed of working in a store like that some day. Then, when I got back into fishkeeping and went there - 15 years having past. It looked like I remembered, except that it showed the 15 years of decay. The store was falling down around me as I walked through. It was depressing. Sick and dying fish everywhere I looked. It was bare in some places. It was obvious this guy was going out of business and fast.



Contrast that with my local Petsmart. I went there to look at the tank I ended up purchasing. It was the size I wanted, and the dimensions fit my space perfectly. While looking at it, the fish department manager came over. We talked for about 90 minutes (I think my wife started to get jealous! ) about all things fish related. We discussed fishless cycling, which he had never done but had been curious about it. (He just clones his filters now from his old media and claims that he's had fish since he was a kid.) Then we talked about stocking. We discussed everything from neon tetra to tiger barbs all the way through African cichlids. Every bit of advice he gave on each fish was dead on with my own research, but I was probing him for information, trying to find out if he would sell me any fish I wanted. He even went so far as to suggest that I wait to add the neons because they can be a bit sensitive to new tanks, not just uncycled tanks. (A LFS suggesting NOT to buy a fish immediately and bang it into a tank, especially one that was already cycled?!) Anyway, I have made this my LFS. Every time I go in, the tanks are clean, the fish are active and the staff is friendly. Granted, there are different workers there, some having more information to share than others. But, the manager actually understands fish keeping, and it was evident from talking to another of the employees that he actually is training them on proper fish keeping techniques as well. One of them actually mentioned to me the one time that they didn't know the answer to a question because they just started working there and hadn't been fully trained by the manager yet.


I think blanket statements like "avoid big box stores" denies the reality that there is no perfect way to find a good LFS without visiting a bunch and talking to the staff. You can find out pretty quick how much they really know about fishkeeping and if their methods match your own.

 

[This Old Spouse]

When I refer to "Big box stores" I'm talking about the likes of the ones that begin with a "W" or "K" in their name. They don't specialize in pets, they specialize in profits. There are some good Petsmart and Petco stores, and of course there is the occasional knowledgeable staff person who works at a big box store pet department, but his or her goal is still to sell you product.

My bottom line is always, do the research before you buy the product, and it's best not to rely on what a staffer tells you, but on what you've found in your own studies.

 

[Neomeris]

I think that this would be a lot easier for you if you just calmed down, used punctuation, grammar, and capitalization, and then, sat yourself down at the computer, made yourself a snack, and opened a new tab to Google and to do some research on fish for your tank size and what they need. IF what other people have inferred is correct (which it generally is)that cute little algae eater is going to get huge real fast and so is the convict. Convicts are very aggressive, and get up to 6 inches. Chinese Algae eaters get up to 11". For a seven gallon tank that is way to big. And the danios need more space (the Glofish, I mean). You have made a mistake, but you can correct it with a little research. It doesn't have to be dull. Also, your aquarium weighs at least 58 lbs. Make sure it's stand can support it.

Sorry about the lecture. If you want some help on the research, please, just PM me.

Neomeris

 

[eaglesaquarium]

When I refer to "Big box stores" I'm talking about the likes of the ones that begin with a "W" or "K" in their name. They don't specialize in pets, they specialize in profits. There are some good Petsmart and Petco stores, and of course there is the occasional knowledgeable staff person who works at a big box store pet department, but his or her goal is still to sell you product.

My bottom line is always, do the research before you buy the product, and it's best not to rely on what a staffer tells you, but on what you've found in your own studies.

Understood. I misinterpreted your big box store. Yes, I would avoid the "W" one at all cost, and didn't know that the "K" one sold fish? Interesting...


I agree with you 100% on the above. Yes, there is no way to know a good LFS without going in and talking with the staff. Even then, you need to talk to more than one person there as well. And even with the stores that I do "trust", I always have a game plan regarding what I am going to get before I ever step foot in one. I never buy anything on a spur of the moment decision. If I am in the store and I buy something, it is because I have been thinking about buying it for over a week. (I can be a little type A when it comes to most purchases anyway, but more so with fish.)

 

[This Old Spouse]

And a little side note here ... no matter where you buy your fish, it's always a good idea to quarantine the new arrivals for several days before introducing them to the general population.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

+1, whenever possible.